BOISE, Idaho — The Boise School District concluded its investigation from a November 9 incident where a teenager, who was not a student, boarded a bus and was allegedly armed with a firearm and under the influence.
- The BSD concluded that the bus driver, faculty, and police all performed well in their duties.
- The district will look at its own policies including overcrowding on buses, and driver training.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
The Boise School district announced a conclusion to their investigation into the incident that happened in November where a teenager, who was not a student, got onto one of their buses with a gun in his bag.
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"It was a lot, admittedly. It still causes me grief," said Boise School District parent Rosa Urrutia.
Her child, a student at North Jr. High where the suspect was apprehended, rides that bus route. But she drove him to school that day.
"The stop where the incident occurred is the stop after my kid's bus stop," Urrutia said.
No kids were hurt during the incident, but it's still a terrifying thought for parents in a world where gun incidents in schools happen far too often.
"It's just not something that kids should have to worry about, Someone getting on the bus with a firearm," Urrutia told Idaho News 6.
This week, the school district announced its findings from the investigation.
RELATED | Boise School District completes bus investigation surrounding armed teen
They said the bus driver, police, and faculty, performed well in their roles, but when situations like this occur, the district has to look at its policies to see what it can do better.
BSD says one factor in how a non-student got on the bus was overcrowding.
The bus stop where the non-student boarded is also a stop for Valley Regional Transit. Investigators believe the teen, who was allegedly under the influence, thought he was getting on a VRT bus.
"I think the investigation was thorough, I think the bus driver did a really good job," said Urrutia.
The district says that after the incident many parents asked why the bus system doesn't use some sort of badge system, or ID, for students to get on the bus.
The district says that can be difficult.
"This seems like a simple solution and may be necessary. However, it is much more complicated than it appears," the district wrote. "Concerns over students being left behind at a bus stop in the mornings, processing of new students, as well as delays to route schedules, all may result in students either missing school or being late."
Urrutia says that depending on how the district manages giving out badges, some families might have a harder time getting them.
"A lot of the student population there may not have the resources, the language, and the understanding," Urrutia said.
She hopes this incident spurs more parents to get involved in discussions around safety in schools.
"I guess what I would encourage parents to do, as we're growing in our community at North Jr. High, is to become very involved in advocating for kids safety," Urrutia said.